Carl Lawson missed six games last season and finished with just 17 tackles last season.
That put him two tackles ahead of Jeremiah Dinson, one behind Tim Irvin. It's not exactly exclusive company, which begs the question: How can Carl Lawson be a unanimous No. 1 player?
Because he is — statistics be damned.
Lawson, of course, missed those six games after suffering a hip fracture in the season opener. Similar kinds of injures can be career-ending, but Lawson's situation was more manageable than expected. He returned to the practice field after five weeks and started against Ole Miss on Oct. 31.
He wasn't great upon arrival. Lawson needed three games to get back into proper cardiovascular shape, but the redshirt sophomore caused significant problems for both Alabama and Memphis as the season drew to a close. His acceleration returned, those violent arms were back on display and he once again negatively affected tackles' confidence.
Lawson has the potential to be a dominator and he's close to realizing that potential. His first two steps are as quick as anyone in college football. Yet he's not willing to live off physical gifts; one teammate postulates that only 25 percent of the film Lawson watches is assigned by coaches. What about the rest? Lawson requests video of players he likes from across the country, many of them in the NFL, and studies them in his free time.
Two things stick out about Lawson:
1.) His consistency. Every snap of his life is approached like a final stand in the Iron Bowl. Lawson never slows down or backs down, which leaves third-team tackles worried about embarrassment every time they face him at practice. He believes anything less than maximum effort, even during a walk-through, is an affront to the game.
2.) His footwork. Most college ends (and some NFL guys) take circuitous routes to the quarterback because they believe their speed will allow them cover the extra ground. Lawson has that kind of speed, but he nonetheless obsesses over taking the fewest number of steps possible to reach his goal. His goal is to waste no effort. He generally comes close.
Lawson is a high-character individual who talks no smack, accepts coaching enthusiastically, never misses a deadline, takes care of his body at all times. He's not a huge locker room presence, but he's also not a passive observer. Lawson will speak up if he thinks it's required — and nobody commands more respect among players.
He has first-round NFL Draft potential. It's now a matter of staying healthy, something Lawson hasn't done since 2013, and being himself on Saturdays.
ON THE UP SIDE: Consistency, quickness, length, toughness, awareness
ON THE DOWN SIDE: Durability
VOTING RESULTS: The Bunker (1st), Bryan Matthews (1st), Jeffrey Lee (1st), Jay G. tate (1st)
RANKINGS: 2016 (1st), 2015 (3rd), 2014 (9th)
POSTSCRIPT: Lawson gets some flak for his dull public persona, but it's an act. He has, without a doubt, one of the brightest and nuanced football minds to come through Auburn. His father was a fullback on Georgia Tech's 1990 national title team and trained his son to respect the power of the media, which results in a lot of banality. Don't mistake that for conceit or ignorance. Lawson wants to be a purely positive influence on his team and he's unwilling to say anything that could be construed as a negative. He could be less conservative and still reach that goal, yes, but since when has good enough been acceptable for Lawson?
